Tropical Storm Cristobal to threaten Gulf Coast

Residents along the Gulf Coast – from Texas to Coastal Mississippi – are monitoring the progress of Cristobal as the storm slowly moves across Mexico on Thursday.

The Weather Channel is forecasting the storm to emerge into the Gulf of Mexico late on Friday and begin a northern trek for the Gulf Coast, with landfall as a tropical storm expected late Sunday.

“Cristobal is crawling over Mexico and will track toward the Gulf Coast of the United States this weekend with expansive threats of flooding rain, coastal flooding, high surf and strong winds,” reported weather.com.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for much of coastal Louisiana and Mississippi.

Mississippi Power’s storm team has been tracking Cristobal for several days and is preparing to respond should customers feel impacts from the storm.

“Crews are available and are ready to respond this weekend,” Power Delivery General Manager Randall Pinkston said. “The storm’s current track has it moving north through our service territory, so we’re preparing from Coastal Mississippi up through Hattiesburg, Laurel and Meridian.”

As was the case during several restoration efforts following severe weather outbreaks in the Pine Belt this Spring, Mississippi Power crews and contractors will observe CDC guidelines set forth to safely work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We implemented social distancing and mask wearing during those efforts and were able to safely work to get our customers restored,” Pinkston said. “Should we be called into action in the coming days, we’ll follow those same protocols to protect everyone involved in the restoration effort and our customers.”

Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), produces safe, reliable and environmentally responsible energy for more than 188,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. With nearly 160 megawatts of approved solar energy capacity, Mississippi Power is the largest partner in providing renewable energy in the state of Mississippi. Visit our website at mississippipower.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

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